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Not since the capture of infamous drug lord El Chapo has there been this much hype in Mexico about cuffing an underdog.

Tigres UANL, a wealthy and talented Liga MX football club based in the Monterrey metropolitan area, rolled out the bands, trumpets and boisterous fans Tuesday night at Estadio Universitario to face the pinch-us-we’re-really-here Vancouver Whitecaps.

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Mexico’s Tigres supporters cheer for their team during their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal match against the Whitecaps.JULIO CESAR AGUILAR/AFP/Getty Images

On paper this was simply listed as the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal, but for the visiting Major League Soccer side and coach Carl Robinsonit was drummed up as “the game of a lifetime,” having never advanced this far on the international stage.

Despite holding off the attacking and aggressive Tigres for 64-plus minutes — highlighted by David Ousted’s superb goaltending — there was no Miracle in Mexico for the Whitecaps in dropping a 2-0 decision.

A botched clearing pass by Whitecaps’ veteran Kendall Waston in the 65th minute led to a wild scramble in front of the Vancouver goal area, then a second Waston clearing misadventure resulted in an own goal.

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Then, with three minutes left in regulation, and Vancouver tiring of doing most of the chasing in this match, Eduardo Vargas drilled a lethal shot past a diving Ousted, who didn’t have a chance on the play.

Vancouver’s best chance of the fast-paced match came at the 59-minute mark when Brek Shea had a partial break but stumbled and was shown a yellow card for simulation. A Nicolas Mezquida shot toward goal with under 13 minutes remaining in regulation was just an inch or two off the mark.

Speaking to reporters before the kickoff at the stadium known as The Volcano, Robinson said he told his players to not only “enjoy themselves” in Mexico, but also to seize an opportunity to make bigger history with two countries looking on.

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Wishful thinking by the ever-optimistic Vancouver coach? Perhaps, as only two MLS squads had ever won in Mexico despite having 52 shots at it. And the Whitecaps, who admitted it would be “an enormous challenge” to knock off Tigres, entered the match without a win in two MLS regular-season games. Still, they could have — and maybe should have — scored twice on this night.

The first half, despite being controlled by the hosts, ended without a goal. While the Whitecaps would often bend, they never broke. And Ousted, perhaps playing his finest game of the year, had to make several sparkling saves — at the seven-minute mark, and every two minutes after the 32-minute mark — to keep it that way.

THROW-INS — The Caps will host Tigres on April 5 (7 p.m.) in the return leg at B.C. Place Stadium. Attendance was announced at 43,000.

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